Monday, October 13, 2014

Monday Musings

Been musing in my head about some Fall things, both things I am doing and Fall things I just love.


I saw pumpkins stacked like this on another blog and just had to have it for myself for my front porch. I had just been by lots of pumpkin patches, not stopping because I was done with decorating and didn't need any more pumpkins (I thought!). I decided if I saw some funky pumpkins by chance, cheap enough (pumpkins are high priced in these parts!) I would get them.


There in my local Walmart was a table full of these pumpkins. They were labeled gourds, grown from seeds from around the world. They were $2.98 each. I grabbed them, choosing the ones that would easily stack in my cart to be sure they wouldn't fall over on my porch!




After I recently painted my kitchen stools  over, I got the bug to start re-painting the whole kitchen, badly needing a fresh coat of white. I chose Martin Senour's Swiss Coffee. After 15 years, the white oil based paint on my cupboards had chipped and yellowed. I don't like the knobs anymore either!


Now I like chippy, old white paint as much as the next vintage junkie, but there is just something about a fresh coat of white paint in the kitchen!!


This is a view of the island, stool and cupboards that are done. I have a long way to go!




It started out a cold, rainy Monday morning and I had to go out first thing. Layers were in order.

My son had off from school for Columbus Day and our plan was to go to our favorite Cider Mill/Farm Market, Schutts Cider Mill, about a half hour away.


By the time we were ready to go, the sun came out and it warmed up to 70 degrees! Driving with the windows down we passed by small roadside stands with pumpkins, Indian corn and gourds along the way.


My first stop was to search through the pumpkins in front of the store for fallen off stems, a tip I got from a tutorial on making velvet pumpkins. I fell in love when I first saw the stuffed beauties and with a real stem, they are so pretty to decorate with. I am going to try and follow that tutorial and make one!


Schutts has the best cider and donuts, both made on the premises. Their cider is clear and so fresh tasting. It is worth the drive and the price!


I was excited to get home and put my apples in my vintage orchard basket....


On the way home we stopped to drop off some cider and donuts to my daughter Jena and my granddaugher Chloe and newborn grandson, JC.


He is always sleeping! It's hard work growing so much! He is a big boy..... weighing 9 pounds 11 ounces at birth. At one month he is 11 pounds and wearing a 6 month outfit. Look at that red hair!!


It stands straight up like that no matter what you do!


My husband and I celebrate our wedding day every month on the 13th with a little gift for each other. This is what I got...M & M's white chocolate candy corn candies. They have a distinct white chocolate taste with a hint of candy corn flavor. My husband knows me well.


I know him well too. This is what I gave him...chocolate espresso bread for his breakfast every morning at work. He grew up on espresso and you know what they say about the way to a man's heart......!

Are you having a nice Fall?

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up to these great blog parties:

Treasure Box Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
The Scoop
Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party
What's It Wednesday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

19 comments:

  1. AnnMarie thank you for the tip of looking for broken off pumpkin stems where pumpkins are sold. I've been pondering how to get natural stems for fabric pumpkins and now I know where to look. I've seen them made with parts of tree branches too. They're not too bad, but not as good as the real thing. Your blue chair fall vignette is charming. Nice to get the kitchen cabinets freshened up. They look good. Chloe and JC are adorable. Enjoy the rest of your week. ~ Nancy

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  2. Sounds and looks like you are enjoying the bounty of Fall. I like your tradition of remembering your wedding day each month.
    Your Grands are so cute.
    Enjoy your evening.

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  3. What a little cutie! I was just talking to mom today about decorating for the Fall! Hopefully fall isn't over before I get around to it.

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  4. Love your stacked pumpkins, AnnMarie! So glad you found them! You are amazing, to paint your own kitchen cabinets - I'd ruin mine if I tried! Your adorable grandchildren brought a smile to my face, especially your grandson's hair! And, finally, love your tradition of celebrating your anniversary every month!

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  5. The parallels between you and me, amaze me. I have pumpkins piled upon one another on my front porch and I just made a velvet pumpkin as "dining table'" decor. I used a short piece of hemp rope for the stem though. (used what I had around)

    Monday (ColumbusDay) I drove around taking pictures too. Look at my blog.

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  6. Your grandchildren are simply precious, AnnMarie! That hair on your grandson is just too cute :)

    I love your stacked pumpkins and may have to do the same for my front porch - it's a very unique idea.

    Hugs to you!

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  7. You are busy, as always, AnnMarie! Love your Fall decorating & DIY projects! This is such a fun & beautiful time of year to enjoy all these activities. I am curious why you celebrate your anniversary EVERY month....it sounds very romantic! Always enjoy your posts & look forward to the next one soon!

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  8. oh how your post is filled with fall goodness!! Oh my...those pumpkins on that chippy chair...the CIDER and let's not forget the donuts (that looks to die for!) and your grandchildren....so adorable!! Thanks so much for popping over to our blog! We are thrilled to meet you AnnMarie!
    Karla & Karrie

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  9. What a fun excursion! I so miss visits to apple orchards and farms, where we can pick our own fruit, buy the best apple based baked good, and that wonderfully tasty cider! Your little gift exchange with your hubby is sweet, and yes, you two know each other's tastes very well! I'd definitely be sneaking slices of that delicious looking chocolate espresso loaf!!

    Poppy

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  10. Annemarie your grandson is beautiful, and so big! Your daughter should get a medal for giving birth to such a big boy. I like how you stacked the pumpkins on the chair. It looks great!

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  11. You had me at Cider Mill... Lovely grandchildren!

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  12. Such a sweet idea to celebrate each month with a little gift. Love the stack of pumpkins and the reminder to look for abandoned stems. What a cute hair-do on your grandson.

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  13. Looks like you've been working hard and having lots of fun! I love the new kitchen color and also your monthly tradition with your sweetheart.

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  14. Ann Marie I drool over that aqua chair and watering can every time I see it! The stacked pumpkins are so cute. I was going to do that in my urns, but the plants still looked so good that I didn't end up pulling them out and doing it. We have a local farm stand just down the road from our home. I was thinking the other day that I need to stop and buy a jug of their cider. The little red head guy is a doll and so is big sis! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  15. Love the stacked pumpkins, how neat to visit the orchards and get fresh apples and cider and doughnuts! Great post.
    Hugs,
    Patti

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  16. The stacked pumpkins on the blue chippy chair is such a great and vintage look! I love fall and seeing so many posts with fall activities is so much fun. That cider looks amazing! Thanks for leaving your sweet comment on my burlap banner post. Have a lovely day! ~ Jamie

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  17. Love the stack of pumpkins! I haven't seen candy corn M&Ms before, my son is standing over my shoulder asking for some! He wants some of those donuts too, yum! :)

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  18. Congratulations AnnMarie for the beautiful new grandson. Your grandchildren are beautiful.
    What a nice day you spent with your son. That is what life is all about.
    Your kitchen cabinets are looking nice. I love the fresh white and the new knobs make a difference.
    Congratulations on your anniversary; many, many more happy years.
    Blessings dear. Catherine

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  19. Great tip on the stems! Love the stacked look and your grands are precious! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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